


We Ourselves Must Walk The Path

by WinterSky101



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Distrust, Enemies to Friends, Episode: s03e12 The Western Air Temple, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Zuko Angst, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-07 08:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14077119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSky101/pseuds/WinterSky101
Summary: The Avatar and his friends accept Zuko's offer to be their prisoner, but destinies are not so easily changed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU, but it ends at the same place that the real episode ends. It also includes some direct quotes from the show, so any dialogue you recognize doesn't belong to me.
> 
> Title comes from this quote (allegedly) said by the Buddha: "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

"If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner."

Every single one of Zuko's nerves is screaming at him not to do this, not to kneel in front of people who probably want him dead and offer them his hands and freedom. But he needs to join the Avatar, he knows it, and this is the only way.

The waterbender - Katara, he thinks; if he's going to stay with them, he'll need to call them by their names - opens the skin of water that she wears at her hip. Zuko knows when a blow is coming and braces for it. "No," she snaps, "we-"

"Wait!"

It's the little earthbender girl, Toph. She puts a hand on Katara's arm, stilling her motion. "Say that again."

Katara blinks. "Um. No?"

"Not  _you_ ," Toph replies derisively. She points at Zuko. "You. Say that again."

Zuko is about as confused as the others look, but if this is a chance, he'll take it. "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner," he dutifully repeats.

Toph looks at the others. "He's being sincere," she says. "I can feel it."

"So what?" Katara demands. "We still don't want him anywhere near us!"

"Aang needs a firebending teacher," Toph counters.

"I don't really want him to teach me firebending," the Avatar (Zuko can't quite think of him as Aang) says, shooting Zuko a hesitant look. Zuko supposes that's more than fair.

"He might be too dangerous for us to let him go," the Water Tribe boy - it takes Zuko a moment to remember his name, but he's pretty sure it's Sokka - puts in. "Maybe it would be a good idea to take him as a prisoner."

The Avatar looks uncomfortable. "But-"

"Maybe we should talk about this more quietly," Katara snaps. She glares at Zuko, but in the grand scheme of glares he's gotten in his life, it doesn't rank too high.

The little group turns away from Zuko, whispering together. Zuko tentatively lowers his arms, settling them in his lap, but other than that, he doesn't dare move. This isn't going as well as he hoped - he shouldn't have told them that he was the one who sent the assassin after them - but honestly, it's going better than he expected. The fact that they haven't sent him flying off the edge of the cliff yet is a bit surprising. He wouldn't blame them if they did.

Finally, after a few minutes that seem like an eternity, the Avatar and his little group turn around. "We've decided to take you as our prisoner," the Avatar says, although Zuko doesn't think he's particularly fond of the idea. "So, um…" He looks at the others. "Wait, how are we going to hold him? We can't really tie him up, he'll just burn through the ropes."

"No problem, Twinkletoes," Toph says, stamping one foot. Rock rises around Zuko, encasing his legs and forearms in stone. "Can't use his hands and feet, can't firebend."

That's not  _entirely_  true, but Zuko decides not to mention that his uncle has taught him the Breath of Fire. He's not going to use it to escape, so it's not really important information. Even if he did want to use it to escape, he doesn't think it would do much good, not with his arms and legs trapped.

"So now what?" Sokka asks after a moment. "Do we ask him questions about the Fire Nation defenses or something? Is it time for an interrogation?"

"I can tell you whatever you want to know," Zuko offers, seizing the chance. Maybe this will help him to earn their trust.

"How can we be sure he's not lying?" Katara counters.

"Um, hello?" Toph points to herself. "Human lie detector here."

"No offense, Toph, but your whole 'human lie detector' thing didn't work so well on Azula," Sokka replies. Zuko bites down on the insane urge to say  _Azula always lies._  "How do we know it'll work on Zuko?"

Toph turns on Zuko. "Say a lie."

"What?"

"Say a lie."

Zuko scrambles for something to say. "Um, I'm a waterbender."

Toph nods. "Say something true."

Zuko decides to stick with the same theme. "I'm a firebender."

"He's not a very good liar at all," Toph announces, turning to the others. "Not like Azula. I can tell when he's lying."

Bitterness floods over Zuko for a second, because of course this is just one more thing that Azula's better at than he is, and even the  _Avatar_  and his little gang know it, but he forces the bitterness aside. Azula might be the better firebender, and she might be the better liar, but he's the one who's trying to help the Avatar save the world, and that has to count for something.

"Yeah, but what if he's not really trying?" Sokka counters. "Maybe he wants us to  _think_  he's a bad liar so he can lie to us later without us figuring it out."

"You're  _really_  paranoid, Sokka."

"Hey, it's not paranoia if Zuko really is out to get us!"

"I'm not," Zuko protests. "I want to help you. I know I've done bad things in the past, but I'm good now."

"Truth," Toph sing-songs.

"As far as  _you_  know," Sokka mutters.

"Look," the Avatar cuts in, "we've had a really long morning, okay. Why don't we, I don't know, explore the Temple a little or something?"

"And leave Zuko here?"

"Katara, he's encased in rock."

"I'll stay with him," Toph offers. The others, Zuko included, all look at her in surprise. "Okay, I can't see it, but I'm guessing you're all staring at me."

"I thought you wanted to explore the Temple," Katara says warily.

"I do," Toph replies. "But you three are  _super_  tense, and I don't mind watching Sparky for a bit."

"Sparky?" both Zuko and Sokka ask in unison. Sokka glares at Zuko, like he's done something wrong by asking the same question Sokka had.

"Okay," the Avatar says after a moment. "Thanks, Toph."

"No problem," Toph dismisses, waving a nonchalant hand. "Go have fun." She stomps her foot again and a stone seat rises out of the floor. She sits down, crossing her legs and looking, in Zuko's opinion, oddly at ease for someone who's supposed to guard a prisoner.

The Avatar shoots her one more look, then turns to the others. "So… do you want to see that all-day echo chamber?"

Sokka and Katara shoot Zuko one last glare each, both filled with hatred and anger, then they follow the Avatar off, leaving Zuko alone with Toph.

"Um." Zuko tries to think of something to say. "I'm, uh, sorry that the assassin I hired tried to blow you up. And that he locked you in jail."

"Yeah, you should be," Toph replies.

"And I'm sorry I fought you guys in Ba Sing Se."

"You should be sorry about that too." Toph leans forward a little, settling her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her hands. "Why'd you do it?"

Zuko blinks. Perhaps he should have expected this question, but he didn't. "My sister promised me something I thought I wanted," he finally says. He doesn't want to get into the whole story about his banishment. He's never told it before; everyone on his ship knew, and no one else needed to. It might get the Avatar and his friends to pity him, which might help get them to trust him, but Zuko doesn't want their pity, and he doesn't want to tell the story.

Toph just nods, accepting the explanation, as pathetic as it is. "So why do you want to join us now?"

"It's the right thing to do," Zuko replies. "My father- The Fire Lord will destroy everything if he has the chance. The Avatar is the only one who can stop him."

 _I knew this before,_  Zuko doesn't say.  _I knew it after my time in the Earth Kingdom, but I didn't let myself believe it. I wanted to make my father proud. I thought that mattered. I could have helped, could have fought for the right side in Ba Sing Se, could have protected Uncle, if I just figured it out sooner. It's all my fault._

Toph looks a bit worried. "Aang is supposed to be able to take him down, sure," she replies slowly. "But he can't do that if he doesn't learn firebending."

No one but a fully-realized Avatar could even hope to take down Ozai, especially if he were using the extra strength from the comet. "I guess I could try to find my uncle," Zuko offers uncertainly. "He escaped from prison during the eclipse. But I don't know where he is or how to find him."

"We don't have time for that. Aang needs a firebending teacher, now. I don't know if I really trust you yet, but I think you're the best option we have."

Zuko blinks. "Really?"

Toph shrugs. "Hey, considering how your dad and sister turned out, you could have been a lot worse."

It isn't, perhaps, the nicest thing to say, but Zuko understands what she means. "Uh, thanks."

"No problem," Toph replies. "So now we just have to convince the others that you're not gonna, you know, kill us all in our sleep or something."

"My father would prefer the Avatar be brought to him alive," Zuko corrects automatically.

For a moment, Toph is perfectly still. Zuko curses himself for being such an idiot. If he's alienated the only ally he has…

"How about we not say stuff like that?" Toph suggests after a moment.

Zuko lets out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

* * *

There are three others at the Western Air Temple, none of whom Zuko recognizes. There's a boy in a wheelchair named Teo, an earthbender named Haru, and a young kid who insistently calls himself the Duke. At one point, the Duke mentions something about Jet, and Zuko remembers fighting him in Ba Sing Se before he was taken away. He realizes he doesn't know what happened to Jet after that. He doesn't ask.

The three of them keep an awkward distance. None of them seem particularly comfortable getting too close to the Fire Nation prince, but Zuko hasn't personally wronged any of them, as far as he knows. Their anger towards him isn't as strong as the anger that Katara, Sokka, and the Avatar have.

Or, at least, the anger that Katara and Sokka have. The Avatar has been shooting Zuko looks all day, always wearing the same twisted expression of guilt on his face. Zuko's also seen Toph and the Avatar talking a few times, and he wonders if Toph is trying to convince the Avatar to let Zuko teach him firebending. Honestly, Zuko doesn't understand why she's helping him, but he appreciates it nonetheless. The Avatar needs to learn firebending to defeat Ozai, and Zuko wants to do his part to help.

As the sun reaches higher in the sky, Zuko sees the others all sit down for lunch. His stomach rumbles, but he ignores it. He has no reason to expect them to feed him, after all. He hasn't eaten since the night before, but he's gone longer without food before. He'll be fine.

And then, to his surprise, after everyone finishes lunch, the Avatar and Toph pick up a bowl and head over to him.

"Promise you're not going to attack us, Sparky?" Toph asks. Apparently, that little nickname is going to stick.

"I swear it," Zuko replies. "On my uncle's life."

The Avatar and Toph look at each other. "Sounds good to me," Toph says. She stamps her foot and the stone around Zuko's arms melts back into the ground. His legs are still held in place - they're starting to cramp, but Zuko isn't about to complain - but his hands are free.

"We figured this would be the easiest way for you to eat," the Avatar explains. "No one really wanted to spoon feed you."

"Thank you, Avatar," Zuko replies, taking the bowl he's offered.

The Avatar offers him an awkward smile. "You can call me Aang, if you want."

He's really very young, Zuko notices. Even younger than Zuko was when he was banished. He's never really let himself notice that before.

"Aang," he repeats. The name feels a bit uncomfortable in his mouth. He can deal with it. "Thank you, Aang."

Aang's smile brightens, although it's still hesitant. Zuko ducks his head and starts eating. It's surprisingly not bad.

"Toph thinks I should let you teach me firebending," Aang says after a moment.

"Toph thinks there's no other choice and we shouldn't dismiss the only option we have," Toph mutters.

"But…" Aang shrugs, not looking Zuko in the eye. "That time when I asked if we could be friends, you shot fire at me."

Zuko studies his food. It's not his proudest moment. It seems like there are very few moments he can be proud of in the past few months.

"I'm sorry," he offers, as if that makes up for anything. "I- I was wrong, back then. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I… wasn't." As far as excuses go, it's almost amazingly pathetic. "But I've changed. I want to help in any way I can."

Aang fixes him with an unnervingly piercing stare. "Can you teach me the basics of firebending without actually doing any firebending yourself?" he finally asks.

Zuko blinks. "Um. Yes? The basics of firebending are all about breathing."

Aang makes a face. "Yeah, Jeong Jeong taught me all about that."

"Wait, Admiral Jeong Jeong?"

"So this is the Jeong Jeong person you were talking about before," Toph muses.

Aang frowns. "Um, I think he said he used to be an admiral. He deserted from the Fire Nation Navy, I know that."

"You met him? He's still alive?"

"Yup, still alive," Aang agrees. "He taught me some firebending breathing exercises, but…" Aang looks down. "I kinda burned Katara. It was an accident, but…"

Zuko knows all about having a fear of flames. It took him months to feel comfortable firebending again after Ozai burned his face. "Can you show me the breathing exercises you know?"

Aang closes his eyes and takes a deep, smooth breath. Zuko watches his breathing for a minute. "Okay," he finally says. "Jeong Jeong taught you well."

"But I can't actually do anything with fire," Aang protests. "I mean, I guess I can breathe right, but I can't firebend at all."

"Not even a bit?" Zuko asks, his heart sinking. "Can you make sparks or anything?" In the Fire Nation, firebending children start throwing sparks at a young age. The Avatar might be different, but Zuko can't help but feel a bit worried.

Aang narrows his eyes. "If I really concentrate, I can-" A tiny flame pops into existence in his hand, then disappears. Aang looks absurdly proud of himself.

"Okay," Zuko says. He could do better than that when he was about half Aang's visible age, but he gets the feeling that admonishing Aang for his lack of firebending prowess isn't the best way to teach him. Zuko's own teachers were harsh, the harshest being his father. He's not going to teach Aang the same way. "That's a good start."

Aang's face falls. "I know it's not much-"

"It's better than nothing," Zuko says. It sounded more encouraging in his head. He hopes Aang doesn't take it badly. "But there's only so much I can teach you without firebending. For now, you should probably work on your breathing a bit more. You'll need to be able to control it, no matter what." Zuko's instructors had burned him every time his breathing faltered, lightly enough that it wouldn't cause permanent damage but strongly enough to hurt. As his training continued, they tested him by doing everything they could think of to distract him from breathing properly, fire at the ready if he slipped up. It didn't take long before regulating his breathing was second nature to Zuko.

He gets the feeling that's not the best way to teach Aang, not in the least because the others will probably kill him if he tries. Looking back on it, that was probably a horrible way to teach anyone. It seemed normal at the time, but now he can't imagine ever doing it himself. The thought of burning Aang - of burning a child - every time he gets distracted…

No, Zuko's not going to teach Aang the way he was taught.

"Try to keep your breathing regulated for the rest of the day," Zuko says. Aang's face falls. "Or at least for the next hour or so," Zuko adds, although a part of him is screaming that they don't have time for him to go easy on Aang. "No matter what happens, I want you to stay in control of your breathing. When you're in a fight, you have to keep your breathing steady or your firebending will suffer for it. It needs to be second nature for you, so nothing can distract you."

"I can throw a couple of rocks at you, to see if you get distracted," Toph offers, sounding far too excited about the idea. "And maybe Katara can waterbend at you."

"I don't know if we need to do that yet," Zuko cuts in quickly. "We can worry about breathing in combat situations later. For now, just see how you do for the next hour."

Aang beams. "Okay, Sifu Hotman!"

Zuko blinks once, twice, three times. Toph cackles. "Sifu Hotman?" he finally repeats.

Aang shrugs. "Well, sifu means master-"

"I know what sifu means," Zuko interrupts. "But… Hotman?"

"It used to be Fire Nation slang, back when I was younger," Aang replies. "You don't use it anymore?"

"No," Zuko replies. A lot of weird things have happened to him in his life, but being called "hotman" by the Avatar is definitely up there. "No, we don't."

"Huh," Aang replies. "That's a shame. I like it!"

Zuko gets the feeling he's going to be called "Sifu Hotman" from now on.

"What's taking you so long?" a new voice asks as Katara comes over. "You're just supposed to be feeding him, not talking with him."

"And what's wrong with doing both, Sugar Queen?" Toph counters.

"It's okay," Zuko says quickly, not wanting to make trouble. "I'm done."

Katara glares at him, snatching away the empty bowl like he's going to use it as a weapon if given the chance. "Come on, Aang," she says sharply. "You were supposed to practice waterbending with me after lunch."

"Oh, right." Aang gets up and shoots Zuko one last look before following Katara off.

"Make sure you trap his arms again!" Katara calls over her shoulder.

"Sorry, Sparky," Toph says, softly enough that Katara can't hear it. Zuko lays his hands down in the most comfortable position he can manage, and then Toph pulls the rock up over them.

"It's okay," Zuko replies, his voice equally quiet. "Katara has every reason not to trust me."

Toph frowns. She opens her mouth like she's going to say something, but she's cut off by Haru yelling her name across the courtyard.

"What?" she bellows back.

Haru comes over, but Zuko notices he doesn't get too close. "You said you were going to try to teach me how to see with earthbending," he reminds Toph. "If you don't want to, I can just go off with Teo and the Duke again, but-"

To Zuko's shock, Toph turns towards him. "Do you mind if I go?"

Zuko blinks. "No."

It comes out a little blunter than he intends, but Toph doesn't seem to care. "'Kay. See you later, Sparky." She gets up and starts walking over towards Haru. "Now," Zuko hears her begin, "you've got more practice at earthbending than Twinkletoes did when I started teaching him, so you'd better be better at this than he was."

"Better than the Avatar?" Haru demands, his voice sounding a little too high.

Toph probably says something in response, but they've wandered too far off for Zuko to catch it. He finds, to his surprise, that there's a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

He catches a glimpse of Sokka glaring at him, and any hint of a smile immediately falls. Sokka has no reason to trust him, no more than Katara, but Zuko wants to prove himself. He wants to make them trust him, wants to figure out how to be a part of their little group.

Zuko's never been very good at getting what he wants, but that never stops him from trying.

* * *

Zuko expects to be ignored as long as Toph and Aang are practicing their bending, but to his surprise, Teo and the Duke come over to him before too long. At first, the two of them remain a good distance away, hissing something at each other that's just too quiet for Zuko to hear. He has an idea of what it might be anyway. He waits, surprised to find that he's actually amused, for one of them to come over.

It's Teo who does, rolling over in his wheelchair. Zuko notices he has a bandage wrapped around his head and wonders why. "So," Teo says, looking behind him at the Duke and then turning back to Zuko. "You're the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

"I'm pretty sure my father's declared me a traitor and removed me from the line of succession by now," Zuko replies. "But yeah, I was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

"Jet always said we could never trust Fire Nation scum," the Duke says, but he edges a bit closer as he says it. Zuko figures that, to these kids, he's probably interesting and exotic. He's not the biggest fan of people gawping at him like he's an animal in a zoo - he gets too much of that because of his scar - but at least these kids don't seem to mean anything harmful by it.

"Yeah, I know," Zuko replies.

The Duke's eyes go wide. "You met Jet?"

Zuko wishes he could remember to keep his mouth shut. "Yeah," he says. He's not a good liar, and he doesn't really want to lie to the Duke anyway. "In Ba Sing Se. My uncle and I went there as refugees, when we were on the run from the Fire Nation."

"You were on the run from the Fire Nation?" Teo asks. "But you're the Crown Prince!"

He says it like that should be the solution to all of Zuko's problems instead of the cause of most of them. Zuko tries not to let his expression get too bitter. "My father blamed me and my uncle for the Fire Nation Navy's defeat at the North Pole."

"You've been to the North Pole?" the Duke asks, wide-eyed.

Zuko blinks. "Um, yeah?"

"Can you tell us about it?" Teo demands.

"The others have been to the North Pole too," Zuko points out. Why would these kids want him, the enemy, tell them about the North Pole when they could ask the Avatar himself?

"They're all busy," Teo dismisses, which is true. Aang and Katara are practicing waterbending, and Sokka left not long after lunch to go hunting. Haru and Toph are practicing earthbending, and neither of them have probably been to the North Pole anyway.

Which, somehow, leaves Zuko to do the storytelling.

Which, as everyone who knows him is very aware, he is notoriously terrible at.

"Um." Stories normally start with "once upon a time," don't they? But this isn't really a story, more of a description of a place. So starting with "once upon a time" doesn't make sense. So how should he start? "Um, the North Pole is really cold."

Both Teo and the Duke look supremely unimpressed.

"Yeah, but what's it like?" the Duke asks, sitting cross-legged next to Teo's wheelchair. Apparently, he's given up on the whole "never trust Fire Nation scum" thing. "Is everything made of snow and ice?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so," Zuko replies. "I mean, I wasn't paying that much attention to architecture when I was there." He brightens slightly as he remembers something that the kids will probably find interesting. "But there was this one spot that had grass. It had trees and a garden and everything too. It's where the Moon and Ocean Spirits live."

Teo and the Duke's eyes go gratifyingly wide. "The Moon and Ocean Spirits?" Teo breathes. "Did you meet them?"

"Well, the Ocean Spirit grabbed the guy I was fighting, after he stopped destroying the Fire Nation Navy," Zuko offers. "Cause the guy I was fighting killed the Moon Spirit, so-"

"He killed the Moon Spirit?" Teo and the Duke both gasp in horror.

"How do you kill a spirit?" the Duke demands. "Are you making this up?"

"No!" Zuko replies quickly. "You can ask the others. Aang and Katara and Sokka. They were there too. There was this Fire Nation admiral named Zhao, and he thought that if he destroyed the moon then he could take the North Pole because the waterbenders wouldn't be able to use their bending."

"But the moon is still there," Teo says, sounding a little uncertain. "I mean, we saw it last night. But if he killed the Moon Spirit…"

Zuko blinks. "You know, I'm not actually sure how the moon came back," he admits. "I, uh, kinda wasn't there for that part. I was fighting Zhao. And Aang and the Ocean Spirit were taking down the boats. My uncle and the others got the spirit back somehow."

"Cool," the Duke breathes reverently. "I wish I could go to the North Pole."

"Sokka said you used to chase Aang all over the world," Teo says eagerly. "Have you seen a lot of cool places?"

"Yeah, I guess," Zuko replies, starting to wonder why these kids are so eager to spend time with him. The others have been all over the world too. Still, if it can help get them to trust him… "I've been to the South Pole too. And a lot of places in the Earth Kingdom. And I used to go all over the Fire Kingdom with my family when I was little."

"You said you went to Ba Sing Se, right?" Teo demands. Zuko nods. "Was it super cool? I want to see the walls of Ba Sing Se someday."

"They're the strongest walls in the world," the Duke says authoritatively. "They've gotta be. The Dragon of the West sieged them for six hundred days and still didn't get in."

"He did get in eventually," Zuko jokes.

The Duke frowns. "No he didn't. I thought it was the princess who took Ba Sing Se."

"Yeah, but the Dragon of the West is my uncle," Zuko explains. "And we went to Ba Sing Se together as refugees. So he did get in. You know, not with an army. And he didn't conquer it. But he did get in."

Neither the Duke nor Teo look like they really get it. "Never mind," Zuko mutters. No one ever likes his jokes.

"What was Ba Sing Se like?" Teo asks eagerly.

Zuko thinks back. "Well, my uncle and I started in the Lower Ring, working at a tea shop. It wasn't too bad, I guess." After the time Zuko and Iroh spent wandering the Earth Kingdom, even the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se had been downright lovely. "But then my uncle got his own tea shop in the Upper Ring, and that was pretty nice."

"You met Jet there, right?" the Duke asks.

"Well, technically I met him on the ferry to Ba Sing Se." Zuko doesn't mention that he fought Jet once they were actually in the city. "But I didn't know him well."

"Do you know if he's still there?"

Zuko shakes his head. "No." Thinking that was perhaps a bit harsh, he adds, "I'm sorry."

"Oh." The Duke hangs his head. Teo reaches out and lays a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Did you know Jet?" Zuko asks. Realizing that's a stupid question - of course the kid knew Jet - he modifies it: "Were you one of his little group? The, uh, Freedom Fighters?"

The Duke's eyes light up. "Were there others there?"

Zuko nods. "Yeah, Jet was with two other kids. A boy named Longshot, and a girl named… something-bee?"

"Smellerbee!" the Duke cries. "How were they? Do you know where they are now?"

"They seemed fine," Zuko replies. "But I don't know where they are either. I'm sorry."

The Duke looks disappointed, but Zuko doesn't think he let himself get his hopes up as much this time. "How did you meet Jet?" he asks.

Zuko's almost done with his retelling of his escapade with Jet on the ferry when Haru comes over. Toph, he notices, has joined Aang and Katara and seems to be deriving great joy from throwing rocks at Aang, who does his best to dodge them and also the water that Katara keeps attacking him with. For a twelve year old kid, he's not that bad. Considering he's the Avatar and the world's only hope when it comes to stopping Ozai, Zuko is letting himself despair a little bit.

"What are you guys talking about?" Haru asks. His gaze is understandably wary when it falls on Zuko. He looks older than Teo and the Duke, probably about Zuko's own age, and Zuko doesn't think he's going to earn his trust by telling a few stories.

"Zuko met Jet!" the Duke tells Haru eagerly. "He was just telling us how."

"Did you know Jet?" Zuko asks.

Haru shakes his head. "I never met him."

"How did you meet Aang and the others?"

"The Fire Nation was taking away all of the earthbenders in my village. They found out that I was an earthbender and took me away to this ship in the middle of the ocean, and then Katara got herself imprisoned so she could incite a rebellion and we could all escape."

Zuko frowns. Something about that sounds vaguely familiar. He could swear he heard about an escape like that while he was still on his ship. He remembers being particularly amused because the escaped prisoners had been guarded by a warden whom he found incredibly obnoxious.

"Were you one of the prisoners who escaped from Warden Sulu?" Zuko asks.

Haru blinks. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Zuko shrugs the best he can with his lower arms encased in stone. "I heard about the escape, back when it happened. I never liked Warden Sulu much."

Haru frowns. "We didn't like him either, but…"

"But you thought people from the Fire Nation would?" Zuko asks, translating the silence into the worlds Haru wouldn't say. "I thought he was obnoxious."

"He was," Haru agrees. "What did he do to you?"

Not quite sure how this has become his life, Zuko tells Haru the story of the time when he met Warden Sulu, which they figure out was a little more than two years before Haru and the others had their rebellion. He'd heard that Sulu was increasing the taxes he took from the people but still sending the same amount of money back to the Fire Nation as he always had. Zuko, hotheaded and fourteen, less than a year into his banishment and torn between anger at the world and homesickness so potent it hurt, went to confront Sulu about it, which went about as well as could be expected. They'd gotten dangerously close to an Agni Kai before Iroh had managed to smooth things over.

Haru is just starting to tell the story of how the newly-freed earthbenders managed to overthrow the Fire Nation presence in his village when Katara stalks over. "Don't you all have something better to do?" she demands.

The Duke looks up at her with confusion on his face. He's just a child, probably seven or eight, and Zuko is filled with a wave of guilt at the thought that his nation forced this child into a war. "Zuko was just telling us about the places he's been. And Haru was talking about getting rid of the Fire Nation in his village."

"Zuko," Katara says with enough vitriol in her voice that Zuko flinches, his mind automatically flying back to times his father or Azula said his name like that and the consequences that followed, "is our enemy. He's dangerous. We can't trust him."

"We were just talking," Teo protests.

Haru gives Zuko a long look that Zuko can't quite decipher, then he stands. "Come on, let's go explore the Temple some more. Maybe we can find that giant Pai Sho table Aang mentioned."

Teo and the Duke both look a little confused, but they follow Haru away. "We were just talking," Zuko says, his voice a little hoarse. Talking back never makes things better, but he's never been very good at stopping himself from doing it anyway.

"I know how you work," Katara spits. "You get people to trust you, and then they let their guard down, and that's when you strike. Just like in Ba Sing Se."

"I was wrong in Ba Sing Se. I'm sorry."

Katara scoffs. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want to fool me again."

Zuko lowers his head, staring at the ground. On his knees, he feels like a penitent seeking absolution, a criminal seeking forgiveness, a loyal son seeking mercy. Katara leaves and gives him nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

The fight starts after dinner. Once everyone's finished eating, Toph and Aang bring a bowl over to Zuko. Just like they did with lunch, Toph frees his arms and Zuko eats.

"Your legs must be really uncomfortable," Aang remarks.

"So what if they are?" Katara mutters. She's settled herself not far from Zuko, Sokka's shirt draped over her lap and a sewing needle in her hand. Sokka himself, now shirtless, is sitting next to her. Teo, the Duke, and Haru are off exploring somewhere, as they often seem to be.

Aang frowns. "We could let you up," he offers. "So you could stretch your legs a little, and maybe move them into a different position."

Zuko's legs have gone so numb that he wouldn't think they were there anymore if he didn't know better. He'd love to move them. "Um-"

"Are you crazy?" Katara demands, standing. Sokka's shirt falls to her feet, forgotten. Sokka picks it up and looks at the still-ripped seam in dismay. "You're going to let him  _go_?"

Aang blinks. "No, not let him go," he replies. "Just let him up. He's been kneeling there all day, Katara. That can't be comfortable."

"He's our  _prisoner_!" Katara protests. "He's the prince of the Fire Nation. Do you think they would care if we were  _comfortable_? Do you think he would?"

"But we're not the Fire Nation," Aang counters. "We're not like them. We shouldn't treat people like them. I thought the whole point of fighting the Fire Nation was so people would be treated better."

"Good people!" Katara yells. "Not people like him!" She waves a hand in Zuko's direction, and even though she's too far away for it to have possibly made contact, he still flinches at the movement.

Apparently, being on his knees while people standing over him yell and argue is enough to make Zuko very tense. He hopes no one starts yelling at him. He's not sure what he'll do, but he's sure it'll lead to questions he doesn't want to answer and discussions he doesn't want to have.

"He's here, isn't he?" Toph says, her voice sharp. "He gave himself to us as a prisoner. Seems like he's a good person to me."

"You didn't have to run from him for  _months_  while he tracked you down everywhere you went," Katara retorts. "He stole my necklace.  _And_  he had us attacked by pirates."

"And he burned down Kyoshi Island," Sokka adds. "And he was  _obsessive_  about trying to get his hands on Aang. Like, creepy obsessive."

"People change," Toph replies stubbornly. "This time last year, I didn't care about the war. I just wanted to beat up other earthbenders as the Blind Bandit. Now I'm working with you guys to take down the Fire Lord."

"Yeah, but last year you weren't trying to capture the Avatar," Katara counters. "And we don't even know that he  _has_  changed. For all we know, this is just a Fire Nation plot. Considering it's Zuko, it probably is. We should just send him back to the Fire Lord and be done with it."

"No!"

The word tears its way out of Zuko's mouth without conscious thought. His heart is pounding, and he thinks he can still feel the tingling of his father's lightning racing through his body. Phantom pain throbs around his eye, and his scar hasn't  _actually_  hurt in years, but try telling his brain that.

"No," he says again, aware that all eyes are on him. He can't seem to take a full breath. "Please. If you want to kill me, just do it yourselves, but don't send me back to my father.  _Please_."

For a long moment, no one speaks. "Kill you?" Aang finally asks in a very small voice. "Your father… He'd  _kill_  you?"

"He's already tried," Zuko rasps. His voice is rough, like he's been screaming. "If I go back, he'll do it."

"Toph?" Aang asks.

"He's telling the truth," Toph says, sounding stunned.

Aang sets his jaw. He holds a hand out, palm down, then shoves it downwards. The stone around Zuko melts back into the ground. Without its support, Zuko slumps over to the side, but he puts his arm out to keep him from falling all the way over.

"Aang!" Katara cries.

"I'm just letting him get a bit more comfortable," Aang says in a voice that brooks no argument. He might be a child, but he's also the Avatar. Katara swallows and doesn't say anything else.

Aang offers Zuko a hand and pulls him to his feet. Zuko's numb legs refuse to support him, but Toph slides into place under his other arm before he can lose his balance. Between the two of them, they're able to help Zuko stagger over to one of the pillars that hold up the roof.

"You can lean against this," Aang says. "I don't know how you want to sit. I guess whatever's most comfortable."

Zuko sinks down to the ground, leaning his back against the pillar. He stretches out his legs, which are starting to burn with renewed sensation. "Is this okay?"

"This is fine," Toph replies. She looks at Aang, who nods. With another stomp - Toph clearly prefers to use her feet to earthbend - stone creeps up over Zuko's legs. She leaves his hands free, but Zuko is under no illusions that that's anything but temporary.

"I-" Aang sits down cross-legged next to Zuko. "I just want you to know, I never really wanted to take prisoners. I-I don't think it's something we should do."

Zuko doesn't find this particularly surprising. "Why did you agree to do it, then?" he asks.

Aang presses his lips together. "Because I think you're supposed to be here," he admits. "I don't know why, and I don't know how I know, but…"

"Destiny is weird," Zuko offers.

Aang smiles. "Yeah," he agrees. "It is."

They sit in silence for a moment, then Aang shoots Zuko a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Your father," he says tentatively. Zuko wishes he didn't know where this is going.

"What about him?"

Aang bites his lip. "Did he really try to kill you?"

"What, are we doubting my skills now?" Toph demands.

Aang looks uncomfortable. "No, not  _doubting_ , but-"

"He shot lightning at me," Zuko interrupts. "On the Day of Black Sun, I went to tell him I was leaving. I meant to be out of there before the eclipse ended, but I miscalculated. If my uncle hadn't taught me how to redirect lighting, I'd be dead."

Aang looks like he might be sick. "But you're his  _kid_."

Zuko lets out a sound that was supposed to be a laugh but doesn't sound much like it. "That never mattered to him."

There's a long silence. "Like I said, Sparky," Toph finally says. "Considering your evil dad and your crazy sister, you could be a  _lot_  worse."

Zuko's laugh is hoarse, but much closer to a real laugh this time. Toph looks very pleased with herself.

"I'm gonna talk to Katara and Sokka tomorrow," Aang says. "We need to have rules, and we all need to agree on it, but I think we should let you join the group all the way, not just as a prisoner."

"I agree," Toph adds.

Zuko, horribly, thinks he might cry. He feels touched, probably ridiculously so, and he feels relieved, and he feels  _safe_. He may be trapped in stone, and he may still be a prisoner, but he feels safer here than he has in a long time.

"Aang!" Sokka calls from where he's sitting, next to the fire. "You promised you'd tell us an old Air Nomad story tonight!"

Aang looks at Zuko for a moment, then turns to Sokka. "Be right there!"

"Want me to stay with you?" Toph asks Zuko. "Don't tell Twinkletoes, but he's not always the best at telling stories."

"Hey!" Aang protests.

"No, it's fine," Zuko replies, shaking his head. "Go listen to the story. I'm fine here."

Aang looks at Zuko's arms, guilt on his face. "Um, Katara will probably want us to trap your arms again."

"It's fine," Zuko repeats, settling his arms down in his lap. "I understand."

Toph stomps and stone covers Zuko's arms. Aang shoots him one last look, then he and Toph go over to the others.

Aang tells the story loudly, much louder than he has to. It's just loud enough that Zuko can catch the majority of it. Toph's not entirely wrong in her assessment of Aang's storytelling abilities - he keeps forgetting parts of the story, and occasionally has to double back to add something - but it's an engaging tale nonetheless. Zuko listens, his eyes closed and his head leaning back against the pillar, as Aang talks about a time long before the war, when a young Air Nomad woman fell in love with an Earth Kingdom princess.

It's the type of story his mother would like. Zuko wishes she were here to hear it.

* * *

Zuko wakes with the dawn, his eyes blinking open as light begins to spill over the horizon. He's the first one up. The others are all sleeping around the fire, which has died down to almost nothing. Zuko sees the Duke shiver in his sleep and uses his firebending to nudge the smoldering embers back into flame. It's only a small fire, but it's warm.

Zuko's used to practicing his katas every morning, but they all require freedom of movement. Instead, Zuko closes his eyes and does his best to meditate the way his uncle taught him. He's never been very good at it - peace of mind isn't exactly his forte - but it doesn't do any harm to try. It's better than just sitting around and waiting for everyone else to get up.

His meditation goes surprisingly well, actually, especially considering how uncomfortable he is after being in the same position all night. When Zuko reopens his eyes, the sun is higher in the sky, its power settling deep into his bones. Katara and Aang are both waking up, Aang poking at what's left of the fire while Katara grabs the pot and starts measuring out rice and water.

"Good morning," Aang calls cheerfully when he sees that Zuko's eyes are open. "How'd you sleep?"

"Um, fine," Zuko replies, surprised at the realization that it's actually true. He doesn't think he's had a peaceful night's sleep since he went back to the Fire Nation, but his sleep the night before was completely free of dreams.

"I'm glad," Aang replies, looking as if he actually is.

"How did you sleep?" Zuko asks awkwardly. He's not very good at small talk, but since Aang asked first, it's only polite to ask him as well.

"Good!" Aang replies. "I had a really weird dream about Momo and Appa learning firebending, but at least it wasn't as weird as the dream when I went to fight the Fire Lord without pants. Or when I fought the Fire Lord and  _he_  was the one who wasn't wearing pants."

Zuko stares. "Wait, you had a dream where- You know what, I don't want to know."

Aang grins. "Yeah, it was weird. I was super stressed about having to fight the Fire Lord during the eclipse, and I had  _really_  weird dreams." He shrugs. "And then I didn't even end up fighting him, so…"

The night before the eclipse, Zuko dreamed of his Agni Kai. It's been a recurring dream since it happened. He woke up with a scream caught in his throat and sweat dripping down his back. When he'd had that dream on his ship, or traveling in the Earth Kingdom, he'd been able to go to his uncle for comfort. In his bedroom in the palace, he'd been alone.

He'd rather not talk about it.

"Once, when I was little, I had a dream that I was a turtleduck," Zuko offers.

Aang giggles. "Prince Turtleduck of the Turtleduck Nation!"

"I'm going to regret telling you that, aren't I?"

"If you two are done talking about turtleducks," Katara says in a voice sharp enough to slice through steel, "could you get the fire ready, Aang?"

"Sorry, Katara." Aang renews his poking at the fire, for all the good it does him.

"I could-" Zuko offers, but Katara cuts him off with a glare.

"As if I'd trust you to firebend."

Zuko doesn't argue, but when he sees Aang poking futilely at the fire again, he calls on his firebending to coax it slowly back into flames. Aang looks delighted and rather proud of himself.

Katara makes rice for breakfast, and Teo wheels off with the Duke and Haru almost the second they're done. Aang fills a bowl with rice and is on his way over to Zuko with it when Zuko sees movement on a nearby stone ledge.

"Aang, move!"

Aang's eyes widen in panic, and he dives out of the way just in time to avoid the blast that shakes the entire temple. The assassin Zuko hired is on the ledge, and if the rumors about him are true, he's not going to stop until Aang is dead.

"Stop!" Zuko yells, but he doubts the assassin will listen, if he can hear him at all. "The mission is off!"

Zuko can see the assassin's head lean back, then another explosive blast rocks the temple. Aang is out of the assassin's line of sight, with Katara, Sokka, and Toph next to him, but that's not going to stop him.

Zuko takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He does it again, gathering up his chi deep in his chest. He's never tried this before, not to this extent, but he has no choice but to try. There's nothing else he can do to help.

He takes another breath, gathers his fire in his chest, and  _breathes_. Flames erupt from his mouth, a longer and more powerful stream than he's ever managed before. Zuko's never really used the Breath of Fire offensively. He's certainly never tried to bend this much fire through it before. He can feel his throat begin to burn - Agni, it  _hurts_  - but he doesn't let up. The flames are reaching the ledge, and he needs to give the others the biggest advantage he can muster. He'd be able to do more with his hands or feet, but they're still trapped in stone, so the Breath of Fire is all he can manage.

When he can't push any more fire out through his throat, he finally stops, leaning back against the pillar and trying to remember how to breathe normally. He coughs raggedly, trying to get the blood out of his throat, but that only makes it hurt more. He just hopes it was worth it.

Aang sends a tornado flying at the assassin, which makes him jump to another ledge but doesn't stop him from firing another blast at the temple. Zuko hopes it's securely attached to the cliff wall. Katara sends a wave of icicles flying, but that's equally ineffective. Zuko waits, tense, and wonders how long the temple can withstand this sort of abuse.

It's a long, long way down.

Zuko is beginning to wonder what's taking the others so long - do they intend to just let the assassin keep firing forever? - when a glint of metal flies past him. He doesn't know what Sokka intends to do with his  _boomerang_ , but at least it's something-

And then the boomerang hits the assassin in the forehead, right in the middle of his tattooed third eye.

The assassin gets back up, but he's shaky, and Zuko knows a hit like that would mess with his chi. The blast's not going to work the way he wants it to. Zuko's not sure if that'll be enough on its own. But if he adds some fire into the mix…

He takes a deep breath, wincing as it hurts his abused throat. He really shouldn't do this, not twice in a row, but he has to play his part. He sent this assassin after Aang. It's only fair that he's the one who has to take it down.

Then, right as he's gathering fire in his chest, the stone around him melts back into the earth. Zuko shoots a startled look over at Toph, whose hands are pressed against the ground. He doesn't know how she knows he's staring at her, but she looks up and nods once.

He doesn't bother trying to stand - he doesn't think he's going to be able to - but this is enough. He redirects the fire and sends twin tongues of flame out of his fists. They reach the assassin just as he tries to blast them again-

The explosion is huge, but it's centered around the assassin this time, not around them. A piece of the temple falls into the canyon, but not an inhabited one. Zuko sees the glint of sunlight reflecting off a metal prosthetic.

He leans back against the pillar again and takes a ragged breath. He's drained, and his throat  _hurts_ , but the threat has passed. They're safe.

"Is he dead?" Aang asks in a very small voice.

"He's not touching the ground anywhere near us, I can tell you that," Toph replies.

"It was him or us, Aang," Katara says firmly. "I don't know about you, but I'm glad it was him."

Zuko takes a moment to reflect on the fact that the Avatar, the same Avatar who sank a whole fleet of Fire Nation ships at the North Pole, is apparently a pacifist. He thinks he would laugh if his throat didn't hurt so much.

"So it's over?" Teo asks. Zuko starts at the unexpected voice. Teo's head is poking out from behind a pillar. The Duke and Haru are next to him. If Zuko's assassin hadn't been stopped, if he kept firing long enough to bring the temple down, those three would have died too. The Duke is eight years old. Zuko feels sick with guilt.

"Yeah, it's over," Aang replies heavily.

"Did you really breathe fire?" the Duke asks Zuko eagerly. "I didn't know anyone could do that."

"Yeah, Zuko," Katara says, her voice sharp. "What  _was_  that?"

Zuko should have known, considering his horrible luck, that not coming clean about his Breath of Fire would come back to bite him. "I'm sorry," he tries to say, but only a rough, scraping sound manages to come out of his mouth, and with it a few bloody coughs.

"Zuko?" Aang asks, kneeling next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I burned my throat," Zuko tries to explain, but the sounds that come out aren't recognizable as words at all. They're barely even recognizable as human. Apparently, Zuko isn't going to be up to chatting for a few days.

"What happened to Sparky?" Toph demands.

"I don't know," Aang replies worriedly. "But I don't think he can talk."

Which apparently means he's going to have to mime his way through this conversation. If he didn't think sighing would aggravate his throat, he'd definitely do it.

Carefully, Zuko summons a small flame in his palm. He holds it out, hoping someone will understand what he's trying to do.

"Ooh, it's like charades!" Sokka exclaims. "I'm good at this. Okay, so something about fire?"

Zuko nods and extinguishes the flame in his hands. He rubs at his throat, hoping Sokka will understand.

"Well, yeah, we all  _saw_  you breathe fire," Sokka says, frowning. "What about it?"

Zuko glares. He conjures up the flame again, then rubs at his throat. Maybe someone will get it the second time around.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here, cause I'm really confused," Toph declares.

Apparently not.

Exasperated, Zuko points to his scarred eye, then jabs a finger at his throat. "Your eye is in your throat?" Sokka asks, confused.

Zuko is going to throttle him.

"No," Aang says slowly. "I think he's saying his throat is burned." He looks at Zuko. "Is that it? Breathing fire like that burned your throat?"

Zuko nods, his shoulders slumping in relief. At least now the others will understand why he's not going to be able to speak for a while, at least until his throat starts to heal up a bit.

"Katara," Aang asks, "do you think you could heal him?"

Katara looks as stunned by the question as Zuko feels. " _Heal_  him?" she repeats. "So he can breathe fire again, against us this time?" She whirls on Toph. "And why did you get rid of the stone? Am I the only one who remembers Zuko is our  _enemy_?"

"He just saved us!" Toph cries. "He could have breathed fire at us all day yesterday, but he only did it when we were under attack, at the guy who was attacking us. He did it to  _save_  us!"

"Oh, please," Katara scoffs. "He did it to save his own skin. If the temple fell, he would fall too. He didn't do it for  _us_."

"I don't think Zuko should be our prisoner anymore," Aang declares, the words spilling out of his mouth very quickly.

Sokka frowns. "So what, you think we should let him go?"

"I think we should let him join us."

" _Let him join us_?"

Zuko winces at the volume. Katara can be very loud when she wants to be. If he could talk, he'd tell Aang not to bother, but he's not going to be able to get the words out. He's just going to have to sit and watch.

At least he's not on his knees this time.

"Yeah," Aang says, not sounding entirely confident in his words. It seems he doesn't like arguing, or at least not arguing with Katara. "I think he's really on our side. And I need someone to teach me firebending. Zuko can do it."

Katara looks furious. "He is our  _enemy_! Have you forgotten everything he did to us, Aang?"

Aang shifts his weight, looking intensely uncomfortable. "No, but-"

"Look, he might have a point," Sokka cuts in. "I don't trust Zuko either, but Aang needs to learn firebending so he can defeat the Fire Lord."

"And you think the Fire Lord's  _son_  is going to help us defeat him?"

"Considering his dad wants to kill him, yeah!" Toph yells.

Teo looks horrified. "His dad wants to  _kill_  him?"

"Already tried," Toph says. "He shot Sparky here full of  _lightning_."

"Then how is he alive at all?" Katara retorts. "When Azula shot Aang with lightning, only the spirit water from the North Pole was enough to save him."

"Zuko says his uncle taught him how to redirect lightning," Aang explains.

"And we're just gonna take Zuko's word for it?" Katara demands.

"I mean, he is pretty into honor," Sokka offers. "Wouldn't it be dishonorable to lie?"

"The Fire Nation has no honor," Katara scoffs. Zuko doesn't let himself flinch. He can understand why Katara thinks that, but it doesn't make it any easier to hear.

"Look, whether we're going to let Zuko join us or not, we should heal him," Aang says. "Please, Katara."

Katara doesn't look happy, but apparently she can't say no to Aang's big eyes, because she nods once. "Okay. But I still don't think it's a good idea."

Aang offers her a sweet smile. "Thanks, Katara."

Katara opens up the waterskin at her side, letting the water coat her hands. "Lie down," she tells Zuko. "It'll be easier if I can get better access to your neck."

Zuko's every instinct is  _screaming_ , and it's only through sheer force of will that his hands aren't trembling like mad, but he slowly pushes away from the pillar and lies down, leaning his head back a bit to give Katara access to his neck.

 _She's an ally. She's an ally. She might not like you very much, but she's not going to kill you here, not when she promised Aang she'd heal you. You're safe. Stop panicking, you're_ safe _._

Katara's hands ghost along his neck, the water glowing slightly. She's frowning, Zuko notices. He hopes that's not a bad sign.

"This isn't working," she murmurs.

"You can't heal him?" Aang asks, sounding downcast.

Katara's brow furrows deeper. "Well, there might be something…" She looks at Zuko. "Open your mouth."

_You're safe._

Zuko does.

And then there's water pouring down his throat, and he's choking on it, and he twists onto his side and coughs, spewing blood-tinged water onto the temple floor. "Sparky!" Toph cries. There's a small hand between his shoulder blades, rubbing gently. Zuko's pretty sure it's Aang.

"What just happened?" Toph demands. "Katara, what did you-"

"The wound is on the inside of his throat," Katara says, crossing her arms. "So the water needs to be there too."

"You could warn a guy before you pour water down his throat," Sokka suggests. Katara glares at him and he throws his hands up. "Just saying!"

"Are you okay?" Aang asks Zuko quietly, his hand still rubbing his back.

Zuko nods. His breathing isn't quite steady, but it hasn't been since he breathed fire. There's a small pool of bloody water next to him, but at least he's not coughing any more up.

"Do you want to try again?" Aang asks tentatively. "With some warning this time?"

Zuko doesn't want to, but he's only good to the group if he can be Aang's firebending teacher, and he can't do that if he can't breathe properly. He can't risk giving them a reason to get rid of him.

He nods.

"Can he sit up?" Aang asks Katara. "It might be easier for him if he can sit up."

"It's easier for me if he lies down," Katara retorts.

Aang frowns. "Yeah, but-"

Zuko lays a hand on Aang's arm and shakes his head. Moving slowly, he lies back down, leaning his head back.

"Okay," Aang says, looking from Zuko to Katara then back to Zuko. "Are you ready?"

Zuko nods. He watches as Katara lifts water and opens his mouth, letting it flow down his throat. He's faced with the immediate urge to gag, but he tamps down on the instinct and lets Katara do her work.

After a few long moments, a wave of coolness rushes along Zuko's throat and the pain recedes to almost nothing. "Sit up and swallow," Katara tells him. Zuko does as he's told, tasting blood in the water he swallows.

"Did you heal him?" Aang asks.

"He shouldn't breathe any more fire for a while, but he should be able to talk," Katara replies.

"Thank you," Zuko rasps. His voice is hoarse, but at least it's there.

Katara scowls. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because Aang asked me to."

"So, is Sparky joining the group?" Toph asks.

Katara throws her hands up in the air. "This is  _just_  like when we were in the cave in Ba Sing Se!" she cries. "Can't you see he's manipulating you? He starts talking about his mother and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings. And then, when you have your guard down, he strikes." She puts her hands on her hips. "He turned against us in Ba Sing Se, remember? He'll do it again."

"I'm sorry for what I did in Ba Sing Se," Zuko says. "And I'm sorry for what I've done to you, all of you." He forces himself to look Katara in the eye. Aang and Toph already want him to join them, and he thinks Sokka will allow it, but Katara still needs to be convinced. "I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday, I've been through a lot in the last few years and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow, my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right." Katara's still glaring at him. He remembers her words -  _The Fire Nation has no honor_  - and hopes his words are enough to convince her otherwise. All he wants is to  _help_ -

He looks to Aang, swallowing hard. "All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."

"I think you should join us," the Duke says. "You might be Fire Nation, but you're not that bad."

"Agreed," Teo says, and Haru nods.

"We all know how I feel," Aang says.

"Ditto," Toph agrees.

Aang looks to Sokka. "What do you think?"

Sokka seems to think for a moment, looking down, then he shrugs. "Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it."

"Katara?" Aang asks tentatively.

Katara's glare hasn't let up for a second. Zuko wonders if she'll agree to let him stay, and if she doesn't, what the others will do. Will they require it to be unanimous, or will the others outnumber Katara?

Finally, Katara stops glaring at Zuko and looks over at Aang. "I'll go along with whatever you think is right," she says, sounding as if she's having to force every word out.

It takes a moment for Zuko to realize what that means, but then the words click. She's agreeing. She's not happy about it, but she's agreeing to let him stay.

"Thank you, Katara," Aang says quietly.

"I won't let you down, I promise," Zuko adds.

Katara gives him one last hate-filled look, then she leaves. Sokka watches her, then turns back to the others. "I'm just gonna, ah, you know-" He points at Katara, then rushes after her.

"So," Aang says after a moment. "Do you have stuff anywhere?"

"I made up a camp, on the ground above the temple," Zuko replies. He hopes his things are still there.

"Should we go get it?" Aang asks, holding out a hand.

Zuko takes it and allows Aang to pull him to his feet. "Yeah," he replies, "I guess we should."

* * *

Sokka is waiting when Zuko and Aang get back from gathering Zuko's things. "We got a room ready for you," he tells Zuko. "If, uh, if you want a room. We've all kinda just been hanging out here, mostly, but if you want a bit more privacy…"

"Thank you," Zuko says, well aware that it'll probably make Sokka and Katara more comfortable not to have him sleeping in the same area as them.

Sokka gestures. "It's this way." He starts down a hall, and Zuko follows him. "So, here you go," Sokka says as they reach a doorway. Zuko steps in. "Home sweet home, I guess. You know, for now." There's a bed set up, a dresser across the room from it, and the far wall has windows along the ceiling. Zuko steps in, looking around.

"Unpack," Sokka suggests, his voice a little higher than usual. "Lunch, soon. Uh… Welcome aboard?"

Zuko turns slightly, smiling. His scarred side is facing Sokka, so he can barely see him at all, but he has the feeling he's a bit unnerved. He should have turned the other way.

"Yeah." Sokka turns around and leaves the room, and he isn't as quiet as he thinks he is when he tells Aang, "Okay, this is really, really weird."

Zuko kneels next to his bed, unpacking his things slowly. He pulls out a portrait of his uncle and wishes, for the millionth time, that he'd stood by his side in Ba Sing Se. Just as he's about to set the portrait down, he's aware of another presence, and he turns to see who's standing in the doorway.

At first, he's surprised to see that it's Katara, but after a moment's reflection, she's the only one who would make sense. He stands, wondering what she's going to say this time.

"You might have everyone else here buying your 'transformation,' but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past," she says, walking into the room until she's right in front of him. "So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there. Permanently."

She turns and leaves, slamming the door behind her. Zuko slumps a bit, letting out a long breath. He has no doubts that her threat is sincere - if he threatened Aang, he doubts there's anything Katara wouldn't do - and he's certain that she's capable of killing him if she thinks it's necessary. Katara is dangerous, all the more so because she doesn't look it. Zuko will not underestimate her.

But Azula tried to smother him with his pillow at least once a week for years, and his father always wanted him out of the way so he could have the heir he preferred, and Zuko lived for almost three years on a ship that was always on the edge of having an "accident" that would do away with the banished prince. Katara is dangerous, but Zuko has lived his whole life around dangerous people. This is nothing new.

He finishes putting his things away and goes to leave his room, almost strapping his swords to his back before he thinks better of it. The others will be enough on edge without swords entering into the equation. He sets the sheath on his bed and goes out to meet the others.

"Zuko!" Teo cries, wheeling over to him immediately. The Duke and Haru are eagerly waiting behind him. "Do you want to come with us? We're gonna ride the tunnel that leads to the Hall of Statues. We were gonna do it before, but then that guy attacked."

"Um…" Zuko looks over to the others. Is he supposed to start doing firebending training with Aang now? Is he trusted to go along with these children?

"You should go," Sokka says, and Zuko notices that his lips are twitching, like he's trying not to laugh. It's a far cry from his awkwardness earlier, and Zuko can't help but wonder where this new amusement comes from. "Have some fun, your turtleduckness."

Zuko stares at Sokka, because  _how_? He wasn't awake yet-

But Aang was the one he told, and Aang has a very sheepish look on his face.

"You're going to regret that in training tomorrow," Zuko says very solemnly. Aang gulps. "Come on, Teo, let's go."

Teo cheers, wheeling off with the Duke and Haru running after him. Zuko takes a moment to reflect that yes, this is really happening, and then he runs after them.

 _This_  is his destiny, and he's going to fulfill it.

**Author's Note:**

> My writing tumblr is [here](http://winterskywrites.tumblr.com/), if you're interested.


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